The present invention relates to a tubal ligation instrument for ligating anatomical elements, and more specifically relates to such an instrument which further includes a means for intraabdominally anesthetizing an anatomical element. The present invention also relates to the method of using such a tubal ligation instrument. Although this instrument relates particularly to female sterilization procedures involving the Fallopian tubes, the instrument of this invention may be applied to the vas deferens in the human male and to any other suitable anatomical structure.
Tubal ligation instruments have found worldwide acceptance for a wide variety of purposes, but in particular have been used for sterilization. In the U.S. Pat. No. 3,834,392, granted to Lampman et al. on Sept. 10, 1974, there is disclosed a laparoscope system for sterilization whereby a single unit contains the power source to provide illumination, oscillatory electrical power and CO.sub.2 gas for laparosocopy. The CO.sub.2 gas, under pressure is first passed into the body through a needle into the peritioneal cavity. A trocar and cannula are inserted into the gas-filled abdominal cavity. A telescope connected to a source of illumination is inserted into the body cavity through the cannula. The Fallopian tubes are then identified through the laparoscope. Flexible forceps are thereafter inserted through the laparoscope into the body cavity. The forceps is manipulated to successively close the passage through each Fallopian tube either by means of sending electrical oscillations through the forceps to simultaneously cut, seal and cauterize each tube in turn, or by means of a specific clamp which clamps the passage shut.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,760,810 to Van Hoorn, granted Sept. 25, 1973 shows a surgical ligation instrument for ligating internal structures of a cavity in the human body, such as internal hermorrhoids, by means of at least one elastic cord. In the Van Hoorn device, two tubes are mounted for relative sliding movement, one inside the other, with the inner tube protruding at the front of the outer tube. An elastic cord or band is stretched upon the outer surface of the protruding portion of the inner tube, and after the tube to be ligated has been drawn into the inner tube, relative movement of the outer tube to the inner tube, displaces the elastic band about the grasped tube. Thus, a stretchable or elastic cord or ring is used for tubal ligation of blood vessels in the treatment of rectosigmoidal lesions and in the treatment of internal structures of the human body.
The preceding patents have been described as showing the present state of the art of tubal ligation instruments. However, in using any of these prior art tubal ligation instruments, there is no teaching of incorporating with the ligation instrument means for locally anesthetizing the anatomical element to be ligated. An object of the tubal ligation instrument of the present invention, and its method of utilization is to allow the surgeon to introduce intraabdominally an anethetic agent to the anatomical element. This anesthesia which is dispensed through the instrument of the present invention may be applied to an anatomical element, for example a Fallopian tube, thus minimizing the pain during and after the ligation procedure. Thus, the ligation instrument with its associate anesthesia dispensing means fulfills a most beneficial need in tubal ligation procedures.